Fr. Stephen De Young:

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho,

Interlocutor: Hasn’t Jericho been destroyed?

Fr. Stephen: If you’re talking about Joshua, that was about 1200 years before this, maybe 1400, somewhere in there. So this is a different city, in the same spot. This is usually referred to as Roman Jericho. All of these cities in the ancient Near East were built on top of each other.

Interlocutor: Jericho wasn’t to be rebuilt, wasn’t it cursed and the man tried to do it?

Fr. Stephen: Yes. At that time. It’s not actually the identical place, but it’s nearby. And all of these ancient cities have layers. So even if you go to Athens today, when they start digging in Athens, You’ve got a Byzantine layer, you’ve got a Roman layer, then you’ve got an Ancient Greek layer all the way down.

And this is not the same spot. There’s a tell, what’s called a “tell”. That’s what they call it’s basically what we call a plateau or a mesa. It’s sort of a hill with the top chopped off. Plateaus and mesas are naturally occurring. These were artificial. They take a hill and basically cut the top off. Early mountaintop removal.  Take the top of the hill off and build the city on it because it’s more defensible. Right. If you have a slope coming up to the wall, it makes it harder to assault the city. And so the tell where the Jericho that was destroyed is not the same tell where this city is. They’re very near each other and they had the same name, but they’re not identical.

You can go there and see both. There are archaeological expeditions to both now. And unfortunately, the one to the original Jericho was one of the first archaeological expeditions of the Holy Land back in the early 19th century. And the guy who went there digging was basically an amateur and completely ruined the site. So you will hear people say occasionally, “Well, we have no evidence that the city of Jericho was destroyed under Joshua.” It’s like, yeah, we don’t know what happened in Jericho because it’s a mess. The archaeological site was ruined.

Interlocutor: I think a lot of people don’t realize, if we had a time machine when we talked about Jericho. Regardless… I agree 100% that there are two Jericho’s. If we went back to the Indians in time, Charleston would be built again just like it is. Because they follow the paths of the animals that came through.

Fr. Stephen: Yeah. These ancient cities were built on these hills because they were defensible. They were built along rivers. They were built where there was a spring of water. And so you get succeeding layers of settlement in these areas just because of the geography of the terrain and the place.

Interlocutor: I really do believe there are eternal places that will always be there.

Fr. Stephen: There are but there are also a lot of places that move around. Like if you go to Nazareth and Palestine today, there’s a city, Nazareth. It’s not where the Nazareth Jesus is from was. They claim it was, but there’s an archaeological dig about 20 miles over. It’s actually where Jesus was from. So some of these there’s a little bit of drift you know, the same area because something happens, there’s an earthquake, there’s a natural disaster. Over time, the river moves, or widens or shrinks, where some of these will move a little bit. Jericho. That’s why you’ve got sort of more than one. Somebody moves a boundary stone, somebody comes and claims it.

So, they’re on the way to Jerusalem:

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.

Again. There was no “Judeans with Disabilities Act” to take care of people if you were disabled, right? Well, we already talked about what would happen to you if you were born with a disability. You were just left out to die. But if someone was disabled later in life, couldn’t work, there’s no social welfare system. You’re on your own. Whatever you can beg for, whatever people will take pity on you and give you once your parents die, especially, this is probably a Jewish person, that this person once their parents are gone, that’s it. They’re out there begging.

And so it was not uncommon. People who are traveling tended to have money with them, right? If you lived in the city, you wouldn’t go around carrying all your money with you. That would be a bad idea. But if you’re going on a journey, you’re going to have to carry some money with you. So the city gate was a pretty good place to beg, because the people coming in or going out on journeys would tend to be carrying something with them. Maybe they take pity on you and throw you a denarius or two. He’s there begging.

And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.

So he hears, he’s used to the normal amount of traffic, he hears this big crowd coming. “Wait, what’s this big crowd? What’s going on?”

So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

So as usual, Jesus apparently still has this big crowd following him.

And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

We’ve talked before, but what is “Son of David” indicating? That he’s the Messiah, right? He’s not just saying, “Oh, I heard he’s related to David.” This is significant, this is identifying him as the Messiah, right? This is identifying him as the rightful King of Israel. So this is a statement of faith in who Jesus is. He’s obviously heard of Jesus by reputation before this, which tells us something, tells us that there’s not just a crowd following Jesus, and there’s not just these interactions he’s been having, but that word of those interactions has gone out into the cities. It’s gone to Jericho, probably already gotten to Jerusalem, right?

So when we see here soon, when Jesus gets to Jerusalem, it’s not, “Oh, hey, there’s a stranger in town. What’s this guy all about?” They’ve already heard. And if you’re a Pharisee you’ve already made up your mind. You’ve already heard not good things.

Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Why are they telling him to be quiet?

Interlocutor: He’s a beggar.

Fr. Stephen: He’s a beggar. He’s a blind man. Now, it’s not in this story, but remember, we see in another story where the disciples asks Jesus, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind. They look at blindness, they look at disability as a curse. As a curse. They don’t look at it as, “Oh, this was an innocent guy who just happened to be blinded.” He must be blind for a reason, right? Closest thing is how some folks today sort of demonize poor people. If somebody’s poor, they’re poor because they’re lazy, they’re poor because they’re stupid, they’re poor because they’re… Same kind of thing here. “This guy’s blind. He’s a beggar. That’s because he’s no good, this guy’s…” So, they tell him to shut up. Quit bothering Jesus. Jesus has more important people to talk to and more important things to do.

Interlocutor: As I read this, it sounds to me that the disciples telling him to be quiet shows their own humanity. “We’re in a hurry, we have seen miracles of Jesus and so forth, we don’t have time to take care of you right now.”

Fr. Stephen: Well, it doesn’t say the disciples, it’s   “those who went before”. Meaning people in this crowd. The people in the crowd, yeah. No, the people in the crowd are just telling him…

Interlocutor: He would have attracted the Romans’ attention, also.

Fr. Stephen: Well, that was probably not the biggest concern here at this point, as we’re going to see. You could flip the page here. We’re coming up on Palm Sunday here, when they’re all going to be yelling that on the way to Jerusalem. So I don’t think that’s the big concern. I think the concern is more that just this guy’s scum, tell them to shut up and go away. Sort of like they’re doing with the kids. “Stupid kids. Get them out of here.” It’s the same kind of thing. “Worthless beggar. Get out of here. Buzz off.”

It’d be sort of like if one of our senators was coming here for the annual dinner and there was a homeless guy outside yelling to him, “Hey, Senator!”. And a bunch of people from the church, whatever, said, “Get out of here. What are you doing? Leave us alone.” It’s that kind of idea. Just get rid of this guy. But the guy doesn’t give up. They tried to shoo him off and run him off. The guy just yells louder. He just makes a bigger scene.

Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.

Why didn’t he just go over to him? Well, he’s in the middle of this big crowd, so he just bring that guy over here to the people in the crowd.

And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Why does Jesus ask that? He doesn’t know? Because what has Jesus said to pretty much everyone he’s healed so far in St. Luke’s Gospel? “Your faith has healed you. Your faith has healed you”. So he’s correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah. But when he says, have mercy on me, what does he mean? Does he mean he wants some money? He wants to come with him? Because if he says, “I want you to make me see again,” what is that saying? He’s saying not only does he believe that Jesus is a Messiah, but he believes that Jesus has the power to restore his sight. Because he could have just said, can I have a couple bucks for some food?

He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Notice a couple of things there. He doesn’t just run off. “Great. Now I could see. Now I could go back to farming or whatever.” Whatever he did. “Now I can open up my shop again, I can see.” No. He follows Jesus. He becomes one of his disciples. Number two, notice they’re glorifying God and praising God. Meaning they’re acknowledging that what Jesus did came from God.

So now we make it through the gate into Jericho:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

So we’re in Jericho. Zacchaeus is not only a tax collector, he’s a chief tax collector. He’s the head of the Jericho office. So, he’s rich. Sort of goes without saying, if you’re chief tax collector. But again, we need to remember what this meant at the time in the description of it. This isn’t just, “Oh, by the way, he worked for the IRS. Nobody really likes the IRS.” The fact that he’s a chief tax collector means the same way that the ruler we saw before was one of the leading citizens in a positive way. Zacchaeus is one of leading citizens in a negative way. In a negative way. Because, what is he doing? He’s extorting money from his fellow Jews using Roman violence. He didn’t get rich by doing really good at his job and impressing a supervisor. He became rich by the Romans telling him to collect 30 shekels, and he collected 90 shekels and kept the other 60. That’s how he got rich, by leaving his fellow Jews in poverty, if not using violence against them, having them thrown in prison. This is a person who’s destroyed lives. It’s the equivalent of like a mobster or a racketeer who runs a neighborhood in Chicago in the 1930s.

Interlocutor: If he was chief tax collector, it meant he had tax collectors under him, and tell them, “Take this part and I’ll get this part.”

Fr. Stephen: Right, so you got kind of a pyramid scheme going on. He’s getting a percentage of what they collect, too. So like I said, this is like a mob boss, not a mobster. This guy’s the capo here. So when it says Zacchaeus was a chief tax record and he was rich. This is about the worst thing you can say about somebody, right? I mean, in the Jewish mind at the time, murderer and rapist probably would have been a step above tax collector, right? That’s the kind of category we’re talking about.

And he sought to see who Jesus was

Again, the reputation, right? His reputation has preceded him.

but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.

So he’s a little guy physically. He’s a little guy. He had Roman soldiers to back him up. He didn’t need to be a big guy.

So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.

So he figures out which road through town Jesus is taking. He sort of gets ahead of the crowd, gets ahead of the parade route, right? Stakes out his place, climbs up into a tree so he’ll be able to see Jesus as he comes by.

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up [a]and saw him, and said to him, ìZacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.î

So once again, Jesus is walking down the street in the middle of this crowd. He stops, looks over, sees Zacchaeus up in the tree, doesn’t say, “What are you doing up that tree?” Doesn’t denounce him, which is probably what the crowd would have expected. “You, no good, when I take over from the Romans, people like you are going to be hanging from trees!” Which is what the people would have expected and wanted. He says, “Hey, get down out of that tree because I’m going to come stay with you.”



Interlocutor: He calls him by name.

Fr. Stephen: He knows exactly who he is. He knows exactly who he is. And when he says this we’re kind of stepping up from… Remember one of the Pharisees who came to him a couple of chapters goes saying, “Well, why does this guy eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  He goes to this town, finds the worst person. The worst person says, “Hey, can I come stay at your house?”

So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

He’s staying with who?

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

Now, remember how I’ve talked before about how we need to not just take these stories as isolated stories, but put them in context, because they come to… St. Luke, puts all these stories of Jesus’s life in order, in context with each other. What did we just read about? The rich young ruler. He’s the prominent citizen, in a good way. Jesus says to him, “Sell all you have, give it to the poor and come follow me.” And he’s sad because he can’t do it. Zacchaeus is the most infamous man in town. Notice also remember when we talked about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus? What’s the rich young ruler’s name?

Interlocutor: Don’t know.

Fr. Stephen: What’s Zacchaeus’s name? The most notorious wicked guy in town. Did he command him to do anything other than, “Hey, I’m coming to your house?” No, but Zacchaeus voluntary… why does he only say he’s giving half his goods to the poor? No, it’s not because he’s sharp, that he thinks he can get away with half. It’s because if he’s going to pay back everything he stole four fold, he’s only going to have half left, right? The idea is, between the two of these, it’s everything. Between the two of these things, it’s everything, right? He’s saying, “I’m going to pay back everything I stole four times over, and then what’s left I’m going to give to the poor.” He’s not going to give it all to the poor because there are other people in that town who deserve to be paid back what he took.

And notice what else he does, he calls him “Lord”. Meaning what? If Jesus is now his Lord and his Master, he’s going to be following him. He’s going to be following him. So Zacchaeus voluntarily does what the rich young ruler wasn’t really willing to do.

Interlocutor: It doesn’t say anything that Zacchaeus was forced to do something.

Fr. Stephen: That’s part of my point, right? He commanded the rich young ruler to do it. The rich young ruler ultimately had to say no, whereas Zacchaeus does it voluntarily.

What motivated him to do that? The love that Jesus showed by coming into his home. Because how did every other Jewish person in that town treat him? Lower than whales when they die. Sink into the ocean. And as they sink into the ocean, their bodies collapse, and these parasites come and eat at their body. And so, there’s a sort of this goo that ends up on the ocean floor. They treated him like he was about 5ft below that. That’s how they treated him. They wouldn’t touch him. If he brushed up against them out in public, they would have to go and bathe. Because he was unclean. He’s a sinner, he’s dirt, he’s scum, as far as all these people are concerned. Remember, it’s the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and Zacchaeus is the chief tax collector. This guy’s garbage as far as they’re concerned. Jesus didn’t look at him as garbage. Jesus called him by his name. Jesus came into his home, he showed this love for him, and that’s what transforms Zacchaeus. And so he professes that he’s going to do this.

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Zacchaeus is every bit as valuable as the rich young ruler, as the rabbi of the synagogue in Jericho, as the chief priests in Jerusalem, as the Pharisees. He’s just as valuable, just as important, just as much a son of Abraham. Jesus is saying that he’s come to seek those who are lost, which included Zacchaeus, until just now. Remember, we had the parable of the lost coin, the lost son.

But notice also, Jesus doesn’t walk in the door and say, “Today salvation has come to this house.” He could have, right? Because Christ brings salvation. But he says that after Zacchaeus says what he’s going to do. Because repentance, the repentance that Zacchaeus shows here demonstrates his faith and his willingness to repent and come and follow Jesus is what puts Him on the path to eternal life. And so, it’s not just a question of professing the right doctrine. “Yeah. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is Lord.” Without repentance and change, without transformation, that’s meaningless.

Now as they heard these things,

What things? The things that Zacchaeus and the things Jesus said in response. So once again, this is continuous here as they hear these things.

Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.

What does that mean? They’re getting close to Jerusalem, and he’s aware that the people around are thinking that he’s going to ride into town and overthrow the Romans, and the kingdom of God is going to appear here on Earth. He still knows they have the wrong view of who the Messiah is and what he’s going to do. He’s aware of that, so he tells them this parable.

Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas [minas are coins], and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

So he says, “You ten servants,” he gives them ten minas, meaning one each. He says, “While I’m gone. Take this money, invest it, keep things running around here.”

“But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’”

So they decide, “We don’t like this guy, we don’t like this guy. We don’t want him.”

“And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.”

So, this is important. Remember the set up as we read the rest of the story, remember, the setup is he leaves them with this money, goes to be enthroned in his kingdom. And as soon as he leaves, they said, “You don’t want this guy for king, he’s a bum.” He becomes king anyway, despite the fact that they rejected him, he comes back and he says, “Now I want an accounting for what you’ve done with that money I gave you.”

“Then came the first, saying, ëMaster, your mina has earned ten minas.í And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’”

So he says, “Wow, you took that one, you turned it into ten,” He’s now the king. He says, “I’m going to give you ten cities, you’re going to be the governor.”

And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

“Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’”

Meaning he can squeeze a nickel and get six pennies, right? “You’re a hard-nosed businessman, and I was kind of scared. I thought, man, if I go and invest this and I lose it, he’s going to be mad at me.”

“And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’”

So if you were so scared you were going to lose it, why didn’t you just deposit it in a bank and at least you have something, at least you would have made something and it would have been safe in the bank.

“And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’

He’s already got a bunch of money, why are we giving it to him?

“‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”

So a little bit confusing. But we have to think about, we have to remember the frame, what Jesus is talking about, right? Jesus tells this parable because they’re expecting what? They’re expecting, Jesus is going to establish a kingdom of Israel on this earth pretty quick because we’re getting close to Jerusalem. This is about to happen. What has Jesus already taught them is actually going to happen. He’s going to die, he’s going to be crucified. And then what? Remember a couple of weeks ago, there’s going to be this period of time, he’s going to depart for a period of time and then he’s going to return with the kingdom.

So who’s the master here? It’s Christ. Christ is saying in his parable, he’s going to go away and come back with the kingdom. And he’s going to be rejected on the way out. So we have this one piece. Those who have rejected Him, when he comes back, they’re going to face judgment. But what about the rest? When he goes, he’s going to leave something behind with them, right? So he’s going to leave behind them, and then when he comes back, he’s going to expect an accounting for what they’ve done with it. For what they’ve done with it. And the one who doesn’t do the right thing with it is going to end up just like those enemies in the first place.

So, if we’re followers of Christ, we’re his servants and he’s gone, what has he left with us? Holy Spirit, which St Paul is later going to call the deposit, not to use the word kingdom, but the deposit of our eternal death and eternal life. So we’ve got the down payment, we’ve got the deposit of the Holy Spirit that’s been left with us. When Christ returns, we’re going to be judged. We’re going to be held accountable for what we did with it.

And this is why… the Book of Hebrews is going to deal with this quite a bit, this idea of us having received the heavenly gifts. If we ignore them, trample them underfoot, right? We effectively become one of Christ’s enemies. Even though we want to call ourselves a disciple and we want to call ourselves a servant, we are effectively one of his enemies if we ignore what Christ has given to us in our salvation. So what Christ is saying by this parable is, “Look, get it out of your head that I’m about to go to Jerusalem and set up this kingdom now. Here’s what you need to be concerned about. You need to be concerned about how you’re going to live your lives this period of time between when I depart and when I return with the kingdom. Because when I return with the kingdom, there’s going to be a reckoning and you’re going to be held accountable for everything you’ve been given.”

This is another one of the themes we’ve seen in St. Luke’s Gospel, right? In addition to the last being first, the first being last, the idea that you’re held accountable, the more you’re given, the more you’re held accountable.

And so we’re accountable for what we’ve been given, for the teaching that Christ has given to us. Holy Spirit, he’s given us all the gifts and knowledge, and the church that he’s given to us, what he’s given us in the Scriptures, all of this, we’re going to be held accountable when that day comes. And the person who claims to be a servant, but who hasn’t put that to work, is going to be the same as someone who is just Christ’s enemy, same as the person who’s outside the church, the same as ultimately, Satan. Remember at the end of the Book of Revelation, what happens to those who are condemned is they’re thrown into the lake of fire that was prepared for who, not for people, prepared for the devil and his angels, right? The devil and his angels are thrown in there, and those who face condemnation are thrown in there with them. They’re treated like God’s enemies, because they’ve made themselves God’s enemies.

So he’s saying, “This is what you need to be concerned about. Don’t be concerned about trying to figure out when the kingdom is going to come, but be concerned about what you’re doing in the meantime.” This is also what St. James is going to talk about in his epistle when he talks about faith without works being dead. You’ve been given faith. You didn’t achieve Christianity, right? Christianity was here long before I was. I received it as a gift. But if I don’t do anything with it, it’s like a body without a soul. It’s dead. There’s no life in it. James said, “Show me your faith without works, I’ll show you my faith by what I do, but what I put into practice. True religion is the care for orphans and widows.”

And so, that’s what Jesus is getting at here. You need to stop worrying about who’s going to overthrow the Romans and give you gifts. If you want treasures in heaven, if you want glory in the kingdom, if you want to be an archon in the kingdom over ten cities or five, then you need to be concerned about what you do right now with what God is giving me. Because if we’re wise stewards with a little bit that God has given us now, we’ll be greatly rewarded in the kingdom of heaven. If not, then even what he’s given us is going to end up being taken away.

So, He’s saying this to frame what’s about to happen, because we’re not going to get to it tonight. But you can see the next story. We’re at Palm Sunday. It’s a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He’s trying to reset their expectations. As we’ve seen, they’re not going to get it.

So we’ll go ahead and end here for this evening and we’ll pick up with the triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, next Sunday, Lord willing.